iPad 5 rumoured for March release

Bored of your Christmas presents already? Desperately trying to pluck up the courage to ask one of your benevolent benefactors for the receipt so you can nip down the shops and cash in your unwanted present for something decent? Well if you are a gadget addict and this Christmas didn’t really cut the cranberry sauce for you in terms of next level gizmoage – fear not – Apple have the iPad 5 winging its way onto the shelves for March 2013.

The news has been broken by Macotakara, a Japanese blog who have proved one of the most effective sources of information about the notoriously secretive Apple’s upcoming plans. Citing sources from supply chains who claim to have inside knowledge of Apple’s plans, the blog claims that the fifth-generation iPad release will predominantly bring the device more in line with the look of the iPad mini by making it lighter and thinner as well as slightly changing the device shell.

The rumor also seems to confirm speculation that Apple could be changing tactics and releasing new versions of their products on a six monthly rather than an annual cycle. If the rumour does prove to be true – it will be the third version of the iPad we’ll have seen in a calendar year.

It’s likely that we will see an upgrade and improvements to the iPad mini in the coming year with the introduction of a Retina display and a more powerful processor taken from the iPad 4, but as yet there are no solid reports about what additions and improvements will have been made to the full size iPad. With the ever increasing speed of Apple’s release cycles, it is an open question as to precisely when gadget addicts are going to start to feel taken advantage of. Is each version really so different as to warrant the song and dance of a release?